On the Beach
by MaroonAngel of Darkness
Summary: "I know I will," she eased. "And you'll find your friend Roxas, I know you will." With Xion being gone, Roxas heads to the beach to try and find her, only Xion isn't who he finds. KH slight AU


Sand and water.

That seemed to be what made up a beach. Roxas stood there for a moment, eyeing the water and the sand, with strange curving trees that flocked behind him on the edge of the sand. The beach never seemed to end. No matter which direction he looked, the horizon seemed to go on forever, with large stones dotting over the landscape, decorating it with many rising shapes. There was even one that bridged out to and island that loomed over the land.

This was the place Axel wanted to take them?

Closing his eyes and breathing in, Roxas breathed in the overwhelming scent and taste of salt in the air, though he found it wasn't as overpowering as he thought it would. Breathing it in, it was almost like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he had been living along the sea his whole life.

Maybe he had. He had no memories of before, so there was a chance. Opening his eyes, he looked over the beach again, taking in the sight. Maybe he even grew up here. But how could he loose his heart here? He couldn't sense any heartless around on this place, this Destiny Island...

It would have been nice if he did end up coming from here. This place was beautiful and relaxing, something he thought he'd want from a home. No heartless, no Saix, or any other pestering nobody. This should be a place for him, Axel, and Xion. Just the three of them.

A flash of color burned against the pale sand and Roxas crouched down to find a gleaming blue shell with a yellow tip, similar to all the shells Xion always found and brought home, and even left by his bedside.

So she did come here, this is where she found all those shells.

Grasping it, Roxas slipped up, looking around for any possible sign of his friend, hoping that Xion did come here.

There was no trace of her. No black cloak, no footsteps, nothing that would give away her presence. Only proof that she was ever here were from the shells. Frustrated, Roxas glared down at the shell in his palm, as if it was at fault with how things were. His two best friends growing more and more distant, one that might need help and the other was keeping secrets. He could every lie Axel told him, he knew it was to keep him from worrying too much, but it was just making things worse for him.

They were being tight lipped about Xion, and they weren't telling him anything. It seemed like everyone knew what was going on but him... and Demyx, then again, no told Demyx much.

But this still didn't change his situation. Xion wasn't at her beach picking up shells. She wasn't here at all. Gritting his teeth, he angrily threw the shell at the water, watching fall into it with a loud splash.

Stupid Axel and his stupid lies.

Stupid Xion and her stupid...disappearances and problems! He knew she had a problem. But she wouldn't tell him, no one would tell him anything! He could help, he's sure he could, if someone would just tell him something!

Growling to himself, he kicked at the sand, a hollow feeling tugging at his chest, like he was being constricted and the only thing that he could do was lash out.

Anger?

Frustration?

He didn't know. He didn't know what he was feeling. Or if it was even a feeling.

Would he even know with a heart? Would it matter to have a heart.

His head hurting so much with all these thoughts and all that's been going on, he practically screamed. But all he could do is let out a growl before he fell back, landing in the sand with a sharp oof.

Sand wasn't as soft as he thought.

Wincing slightly, Roxas sighed tiredly. Life used to be so simple. Kill heartless and hang with friends, and keep Saix off his back.

What changed?

Why did it change?

Was this something a heart could figure out? His mind certainly couldn't.

The soft hum of moving sand came to the nobody's ears and Roxas quickly jumped up, reading to summon his keyblade in case it was a foe. Only nearly to trip on his two still feet at the sight.

Slowly walked down the beach, her head bent as she was lost in a muse was a girl, a very familiar girl. Thick shoulder length hair that hung around her shoulders, with a small, lithe frame, and the same height that was just the same as his if only an inch shorter; it clicked in his head on who it had to be.

"Xion!" he shouted, making the girl jump, looking up just in time for him to tackle her, practically throwing them both to the ground. The girl hissed under him when they hit the sand but Roxas barely heard her, hugging her close. He found her, he found Xion, he finally found her.

"I've been..." he uttered, choking on his words and stilling the girl, "I thought you..." He trembled slightly, his eyes stinging as a fierce pain stabbed at his chest. Drawing away, he managed at last, "Why'd you leave?" Only to stiffen when he finally got a good glimpse of the girl under him.

Her hair was the same as Xion, same length, same form, same thickness.

Only Xion didn't have auburn hair.

Nor did Xion have lightly tanned skin.

And Xion should have been wearing the nobody cloak, not a white shirt and a dark blue skirt.

But she had the same eyes, the same blue eyes... but even they were different, the distraught nobody realized. This girl's eyes were calm and confused, almost as bright as Xion's, but even his friend's eyes dimmed to a gray. This girl still had a gleam in her eyes.

Something Xion didn't have anymore.

"You're not her," he whispered, leaning back and slouching on his knees. "You're not her," he repeated, ignoring the girl as she shifted slightly, sitting up and observing him, not running away like a normal person should.

"...I'm sorry."

Roxas looked up, wide eyed at the girl sitting before him, watching him with knowing, sad eyes. He quickly shook his head, turning away and looking out at the sea. "I should be the one that's sorry," he murmured. "I tackled you..."

"Because you thought I was someone else?" she offered.

Weakly, he nodded.

The girl got up, stretching out her hand to him. "I lost some friends as well." He looked up at her, glancing at her hand before looking back at her face. Finally he took it, letting her pull him up. She offered him a slight smile before moving away and walking down the beach towards a tree that was leaning heavily on its side, a foot from the ground. Roxas watched her curiously as she hopped up on the tree, setting naturally on it and staring out into the ocean. Roxas followed her gaze, trying to see if there was anything else besides the endless blue that was worth looking at, but that was the only thing he could see.

"Do you want to sit?" her voice piped, going through the air and lightly poking at his side. Roxas eyed her, sitting on the tree easily. his feet moved on their own and the next thing he knew, he was pushing himself up and sitting next to her, staring out at the endless blue.

"The scenery can get a bit old," the girl admitted after a pause of staring at the ocean. Roxas looked at her, silently wondering if she somehow sensed his thoughts after staring at the waves. "But its a good spot to think."

"...My friend likes coming here," Roxas told her, "she liked picking up shells and collecting them."

The girl smiled. "I did that a lot when I was little. I even made wayfinders out of them."

"Wayfinders?" Roxas asked.

"A special charm," the girl answered, "its star shaped and based off the paopu fruit and made by thalassa shells, usually, though people have made them out of other things."

"What do they do?" Roxas asked.

"Wayfinders connect friends, and act as a guide in hard times." The girl smiled wishfully. "I think I gave one to a friend, though I can't remember him."

"Is he one of the friends you lost?" he asked.

"He is, no one else remembers him, but I remember there was a boy I used to play with along with Riku, the three of us were tight, but they both went away."

"Have you tried looking for them?"

The girl sighed, "I wouldn't know where to start, or how to find them. They both have something that I don't, something that lets them leave. For now, all I can do is wait."

The blonde sighed, slumping back and slouching on the tree. "I couldn't stand that. I'm sick and tired of waiting on them both. My friends... they're keeping things from me, I just know it. There's something going on, and they're not telling me anything, nothing at all. I'm so tired of being left out in the dark."

The girl chuckled, "That makes two of us... I'm Kairi by the way."

"Roxas."

"Roxas," she repeated. "You're very familiar you know, I wonder if we met before."

He blinked, glancing at the auburn, silently playing with the possibility. This place did feel familiar, and this girl was similar to Xion... maybe they did know each other before? Maybe he grew up here, and he was the friend she can't remember. Would that be a good thing? To know that he was forgotten if so?

"Do you..." he gulped slightly, his voice sounding both hopeful and scared, "do you think that I... I might be that boy you used to know?"

Kairi glanced his way, inspecting him while Roxas sat completely still, not even blinking as her sapphire orbs slid over him and his dark attire. His thoughts were thick and heavy with the possibility that he found his home, some peace of his forgotten past. Maybe even a new friend he could lean to since his two others have closed themselves.

He was unsettled by the chance that this was his home. He didn't know what he should do if he found out this was his home. Shout out in victory? Embrace the girl after finding out that she could be a long lost friend? Should he stay? Come back and visit?

But even with all these worries going through his mind, he honestly hoped that she said yes. That this would confirm that this used to be his home, just to show that he had a home, a history, a family. Something else to cling besides the Organization, some memories of his own.

Only for it all to go downhill when Kairi answered, "No, I don't think so."

Roxas visibly drooped at that, surprising the girl beside him.

So much for a home. For a past.

He stiffened when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and pull him close, another arm wrapping around his front and letting his head rest in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "that's not what you wanted to hear was it?"

He shook his head. "No... but its ok..."

"You could be that boy," she offered, "I don't remember, not even sure what he looks like or his name. All I remember was that the three of us were close and that we had fun. You could be him, but I'm not sure..."

"Doesn't "feel" right," Roxas offered bitterly.

He felt her shake her head as she drew away from him. "Its hard to explain," she admitted, "it does and yet it doesn't, like something is missing. You could practically be him, but something is... different. I don't know how to explain it."

Roxas could only nod, pulling up his feet and wrapping his arms around himself, resting his forehead against them. How typical. Of course this wasn't his home. Beside him, Kairi shifted, sliding off the tree and grabbing one of his wrist and dragging him down with her, much to his surprise.

She smiled reassuringly at him before pulling him along the beach, scanning the sand as she dragged him along. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Nowhere," she answered, pausing only to grab a blue shell with a yellow tip. Roxas arced a brow as she handed the familiar shell to him before wandering off again, looking along the beach. "What are you doing?" Roxas asked.

"We're going to make a wayfinder," Kairi said. "Your friend, well, it sounds like she needs one. So well make one for her."

"Would it really work?" he wondered.

"We won't know till we try," Kairi eased with a smile. "Now help me find some more of those blues, it helps if they are all the same color."

Two hours, that's how long it took to make a wayfinder. Through Kairi's instruction and help, Roxas was quite proud to find that he had made one that he was sure Xion would like. Star shaped like Kairi said, it was made of the blue yellow tipped shells that were scattered along the beach. Kairi was able to poke holes in the shells that allowed Roxas to tie them together and no all that was left was putting something in the center...

He thought about using the nobody's symbol, but it really didn't seem... fitting.

"Do you know what to put in the center?" Kairi asked him, leaning over and peeking over his shoulder, eyeing the work they did together.

Roxas shook his head, eyeing it as he mused with himself. What would be fitting for Xion?

A keyblade?

No... he sighed, irked by this final touch. He was so close to being done too...

Then it clicked in his head. Turning to Kairi, he asked, "Hey, do you have a crown?"

Blinking up at him in confusion, they quickly brightened in understanding. "Wait here," she said, dashing off towards a town Roxas didn't notice till then, and returning a few minutes later, offering him a small yellow crown. It was perfect.

Eagerly, Roxas snapped it into place, beaming as he stared down at his finished creation, Kairi standing next to him, smiling brightly. "She'll like it," she declared.

"Thank you Kairi," he said, turning to her. She smiled back at him. "No problem, I just hope it helps."

"I think it will," he said honestly, the charm in his hand feeling... magical. Like it really could lead him to Xion, and that it would help him find her. He smiled back at her, feeling like he's smiled for the first time in a long time. "I... I think you'll see your friends again," he told her, not really sure if it would be true, but...

Kairi smiled, interrupting his unsure comfort. "I know I will," she eased. "And you'll find your friend Roxas, I know you will."

* * *

**i think it was a missed opportunity that they didn't show roxas meeting kairi in 358/2. he mentioned how he saw a girl that looked like xion but didn't get close enough to talk to her, i get the idea that it might have been xion, but it could also be kairi since the cutscene was vague and confusing; and i'm not sure if he really saw xion and riku up above on the ledge.  
**

**so i decided to write out the possibility that roxas saw kairi, and met with her. **

**i'm also under the impression that was roxas' first time going to the beach and the shells he gave to the sleeping xion were the ones she gave to him when he was in a coma. **

**because roxas is sora's nobody, i think kairi would have been quite familiar with him, or get a sense that she might have known him. **


End file.
